Category: Great Teams of the Past

  • GTOP S2W2: 1922 Browns vs. 1920 Indians

    GTOP S2W2: 1922 Browns vs. 1920 Indians

    The 1920 Cleveland Indians look like a team to be reckoned with, as they won three of four games for the second straight week to improve to 6-2. The 1922 St. Louis Browns fell to 3-5. Doc Johnston batted .533 (8-for-15) to lead the Tribe. Baby Doll Jacobson hit .500 (7-for-14) and drove in six…

  • GTOP S2W1: Recap

    GTOP S2W1: Recap

    Can the New York Giants do it again? After the 1912 Giants won Season 1, the 1922 Giants are off to a good start in Season 2. They and the 1920 Cleveland Indians both won three of four games in their opening series. The two series that both ended up 2-2 were pretty closely contested,…

  • GTOP S2W1: 1922 Giants vs. 1929 Cubs

    GTOP S2W1: 1922 Giants vs. 1929 Cubs

    The 1929 Chicago Cubs nearly blew a 4-0 lead but won the opener against the 1922 New York Giants in 14 innings. However, the Giants came back to win the next three to claim the season-opening series. Casey Stengel hit .429 (6-for-14) with five RBI to lead the Giants. Rogers Hornsby batted .438 (7-for-16) for…

  • GTOP S2W1: 1925 Senators vs. 1930 Cardinals

    GTOP S2W1: 1925 Senators vs. 1930 Cardinals

    The 1930 St. Louis Cardinals will not look back fondly upon their season-opening series with the 1925 Washington Senators, even though it ended up being a draw with each team winning twice. But in their two losses, the Cardinals blew leads of 4-0 and 7-0. Roger Peckinpaugh was the top hitter for the Senators as…

  • GTOP S2W1: 1920 Indians vs. 1919 Reds

    GTOP S2W1: 1920 Indians vs. 1919 Reds

    The 1919 Cincinnati Reds got their season off to a good start with a one-run victory in game number one, but the 1920 Cleveland Indians came back with three straight victories to win the series. Elmer Smith (8-for-17, .471) and Tris Speaker (8-for-18, .444) had big weeks, with the latter providing an extra-innings walk-off hit…

  • GTOP S2W1: 1922 Browns vs. 1927 Yankees

    GTOP S2W1: 1922 Browns vs. 1927 Yankees

    Season two got underway with the 1922 St. Louis Browns and the 1927 New York Yankees splitting a four-game series. Urban Shocker played for both teams and was the winning pitcher in both games one and two. St. Louis managed to outscore (15-14) and outhit (.255-.242) the vaunted Yankee lineup. Both Marty McManus and George…

  • GTOP S1: Final Recap

    GTOP S1: Final Recap

    My first Great Teams of the Past season, which featured competitors from 1902 to 1917, came down to the final week of the 32-game campaign. Four teams were still in contention, and as fate would have it, the first-place squad faced one of two second-place teams, while the other second-place team took on the fourth-place…

  • GTOP S1W9: 1912 Giants vs. 1917 White Sox

    GTOP S1W9: 1912 Giants vs. 1917 White Sox

    The 1912 New York Giants clinched the championship by winning two of four games against the 1917 Chicago White Sox. It wasn’t easy, but the Giants put all matters to rest quickly by winning the first two contests in extra innings. Chicago came back to win the final two meaningless games. New York (21-11) finished…

  • GTOP S1W9: 1909 Tigers vs. 1911 Athletics

    GTOP S1W9: 1909 Tigers vs. 1911 Athletics

    The 1909 Detroit Tigers and the 1911 Philadelphia Athletics split their four-game series, eliminating both from championship contention. The Athletics (19-13) will finish second or third, with the Tigers (18-14) in third or fourth. Philadelphia needed at least three wins to have a chance, but suffered a heart-breaking 15-inning loss in the finale. The Athletics…